Scammers on Friday got the better of the Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, and President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati.
While the scammers created a fake account on social media network, Facebook, for Ochekpe, they issued a statement from the email box of Abati, quoting him as saying President Goodluck Jonathan had revealed the location of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
In a statement on Friday, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Water Resources, Boade Akinola, said: “Attention of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources has been drawn to a fake Facebook account in the name of the Honourable Minister, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe.
“Some suspected members of the public were said to have been chatting with fraudsters on the page and responding to request for money in exchange for contract.
“Mrs. Ochekpe has no Facebook account and we also say categorically that the Ministry neither award contract on the Internet nor request for money in exchange for award letters. There is a laid down procedure for award of contract which include advertisement in two national dailies and the Tenders Journal.
“Therefore members of the public are hereby warned against activities of fraudsters.”
Abati, in a statement, also said: “All media organisations and persons on my mailing list should kindly disregard the press release purportedly issued by me earlier today titled: PRESIDENT JONATHAN REVEALS LOCATION OF CHIBOK GIRLS AND EXPOSES BOKO HARAM MASTERMINDS.
“No such press release was written or circulated by me. It is clearly the work of fraudsters who have hacked into my email account in an odious attempt to mislead the public at the expense of the credibility of the Jonathan Administration.
“We totally condemn this criminal resort to political dirty tricks which seeks to cynically play on national concern and emotions about the Boko Haram insurgency and fate of the abducted Chibok girls.
“Aspects of the fraudulent press release, such as its incoherence and invitation to click on a link, would have alerted discerning persons who are conversant with the style and format of my press statements to the possibility of skulduggery.
“I find it necessary, however, to issue this disclaimer for the benefit of the unwary.”
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